Page 45 of Beast

He didn’t answer, just held my gaze, searching for something deeper.My soul, my courage, whatever he needed to see, he found it and nodded again.I straightened my spine and met his eyes.“I’ve got this,” I said.

King’s attention shifted to the men as I tried to slow my racing heart.“Double-check that every Warrior has hellhound antidote in their packs and ready to go,” he ordered.“I want everyone administering a dose now.If we’re lucky, no one will go down with a hellhound bite.”

We had discovered by accident that administering the antidote an hour before a potential bite weakened the poison, allowing Warriors to stay on their feet longer.If a human went down in this fight, it was still a death sentence.

I took a slow breath, steadying myself.I was in charge of ensuring that the Warriors under my command did as told and survived to fight again.The reality hit hard, an almost unbearable weight settling on my shoulders.Thinking everyone would walk away unscathed was ridiculous, and deep down, I wasn’t ready for this.

“Marinah,” King said, his voice cutting through the spiral of panic building inside me.“I need five minutes.”

He nodded toward a spot about fifty feet away, where scrub brush offered a bit of privacy.The meeting dispersed, and we walked side by side in silence.My thoughts were a chaotic roller coaster, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“What are you doing?”I demanded, breaking the quiet.“How can you possibly think I can lead Warriors?”

King turned to me and his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine.For a moment, I wanted to drown in their depth.“Why do you think I’ve pushed you so hard?”he asked.“You’re part of my guard, Marinah.Your job is to lead and I’ve never had more faith in you that I do right now.”

The pride in his eyes hit me like a punch to the gut.I loved this man more than ever in that moment.

“And if I don’t think I’m ready?”I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

His jaw shifted to the side, and a grin spread across his face.The kind only a Warrior could wear.“It’s a small skirmish,” he said lightly.“You’ll do fine.”

To King, one thousand U.S.Federation soldiers was a small skirmish.I couldn’t help my own grin, holding up two claws an inch apart.“It’s not small, it’s tiny.”

He pressed his teeth-filled mug against mine, pulling me into a hug.His arms were solid, a momentary shield against what was coming.He leaned back just enough to lock his eyes on mine.“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said softly.

He was my world, and the thought of losing him was unbearable.“I’ll try,” I promised, knowing full well how precarious those words were.

Our moment of quiet ended all too quickly.It was time to move.The Warriors split into four groups with the kind of precision that spoke of long-practiced drills and deep trust.The first two units peeled off toward their positions.

The outpost was nestled at the base of a large peak.It had once been a bustling college town; it was now a desolate wasteland.Anything worth scavenging had been stripped away long ago.

When our two units reached the destination, the view stretched south for miles.King gave me one last firm slap on the back before splitting off with his group.His confidence in me made my chest tighten.

I stood with Forty-eight Warriors, their lives in my hands.It was a staggering responsibility.These were faces I knew and men I trusted.Panic clawed its way up my spine.If we fought, the odds said we wouldn’t all survive.

What made King think I could do this?

I drew in a long breath, then exhaled slowly, forcing my body to calm.Are you ready, Ms.Beast?

Kill.

She was ready.

King’s orders were clear: intercept stray hellhounds and Federation soldiers, keeping them from overtaking the outpost or escaping.Strike and run.Strike and run.That was the plan.

We still didn’t fully understand how the Federation’s whistles worked.Did the sound agitate the hounds, calm them, or simply keep them away from the soldiers using them?

It didn’t matter.I made it my personal mission to capture one of those infernal devices.If we could get it back to the island, we could test it on the hellhounds we’d already captured.Figure out how it worked.Make more.

Because survival meant being smarter, faster, and deadlier than the Federation.And we couldn’t afford to fail.

The sun slowly crept over the horizon, and the slight chill in the air began to dissipate, though not by much.At this elevation, I didn’t expect any real warmth.The valley below remained quiet, but then a horn blared in the distance, its echo rolling across the hills.

I reached into my pack, pulled out my field glasses, and lifted them to my eyes.Several of my men did the same.Ryan, one of the Warriors who stood guard at the citadel, was beside me.King had appointed him as my second, and it was a solid choice.Ryan was steady and level-headed, never one to overreact or let his temper get the better of him.He was everything I wasn’t.

No, that wasn’t true.I was just as deadly as he was.King wouldn’t have placed me in charge if he didn’t think I could handle it.He’d also given me the lead when I’d gone with Labyrinth to the Federation.It hadn’t been tested, but he’d trusted me then too.Unfortunately, I was completely full of myself and my newly discovered Shadow Warrior abilities.I was too stupid to understand that people could die because I made the wrong decision.It was time to prove I had what it took.

Through the glasses, I saw a large column of Federation soldiers forming in the distance, exactly as the survivors of the last attack had described.They had a rotary cannon with them.King’s force was our last line of defense.He’d be holding his men back, waiting to see if the Federation had any tricks up their sleeves.I didn’t envy him the waiting.

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